Chronicle News Briefs

Manson calls off wedding (Feb. 9) Charles Manson, 80, called off his wedding to fiancée, Afton Elaine Burton, 27, after learning of her alleged plan to showcase his body for profit after his death. According to The Independent, Burton hoped to acquire his corpse upon his death and with the help of friends, wanted to exhibit it in Los Angeles. However, the joke is on Burton since Manson believes he is immortal.

Sixteen-year-old boy Snapchats friend he shot in the face (Feb. 9) A 16-year-old Pennsylvania boy, Maxwell Morton, shot and killed fellow 16-year-old, Ryan Mangan, and then took a selfie with the body and sent the picture to a third boy via SnapChat. The third boy’s mother, who remained anonymous, reported the picture and text messages from Morton to the police. He has been arrested and charged with first-degree, premeditated murder,with malice. If found guilty, he could receive life in prison.

Fake kidnapped (Feb. 5) A six-year-old Missouri boy was involved in a kidnapping scheme by his mother, grandmother, and aunt when they deemed the boy too nice, according to NBC News. The aunt, Denise Kroutil, enlisted the help of her coworker, Nathan Wynn Firoved, who took him after getting off the school bus. Firoved showed him a gun, then drove him around blindfolded and told him he would never see his mom again. The boy was then taken to Kroutil’s basement where she took off his pants and told him he would be sold as a child sex slave. All four participants have been charged with kidnapping and child abuse.

Viagra for the Pentagon (Feb. 9) The Pentagon spent over $500,000 on Viagra and other erectile dysfunction drugs for “Troop Support” in 2014, according to Fox News. Tricare, the military healthcare insurance system, covers erectile dysfunction and prescribes Viagra, penile implants, and external vacuum appliances, to patients after they have gone through a medical evaluation.

New York City goes 10 days without murders (Feb. 12) For 10 days in a row, New York City has had no reported murders, breaking the previous record of nine days, set in January 2013. According to The Guardian, this streak coincides with the overall decline in crime rates for the city.